US Senator John Kerry said Saturday that the success of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in the ongoing parliamentary elections is not surprising.
The first phase of elections for Egypt’s lower house, the People's Assembly, started on 28 November. Results have shown the FJP claiming the most seats, followed by the Salafi-led Nour Party and then the liberal Egyptian Bloc.
In a meeting Saturday with FJP leaders in Cairo, Kerry urged Egyptian political forces to focus on stimulating the economy and sustaining the current democratic experiment. Kerry stressed that he respects the will of Egyptian voters. Earlier on Saturday, Kerry, who heads the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, met with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri.
This is the FJP's third meeting with a US official in three months.
FJP President Mohamed Morsy ruled out the possibility of the party making drastic changes to the constitution or the laws regulating relations with investors.
Morsy added that there has been a consensus over many constitutional principles, most importantly citizenship, public freedoms and civil rights. He highlighted the need for changes to the presidential powers granted by the constitution.
Morsy said he does not want to pre-empt the panel that will be elected by the parliament to draft the next constitution.
In a press conference held at the US embassy in Cairo on Saturday, Kerry called Islam a “peaceful religion,” adding that Egypt is on the right path to democracy. He noted that the struggling economy is Egypt's biggest challenge and urged Egyptian cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.
Kerry voiced concerns that changes to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel would impact the economy, investment, and tourism.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
